SiCKO part 2 of 3

[skeptic9876]

I'm from the UK & enjoyed hearing your thoughts about this subject. I see the main problems in the usa & healthcare as this. Big pharma & the insurance companies want to make big profits. They're acting in their own self interest when they tell you everything is bad about UHC. The second you covered yourself. That word "socialism" in america is almost like saying "rape". Keep fighting the good fight and don't let them fool you.

[mojo972]

In essence you're right. Yes, you've over-simplified it - but sometimes that's the only way to tackle these things... the American healthcare system is rotten.

[AndyO1987]

The reality is that most of the people who supposedly can't afford health insurance can't because they choose to spend money on other stuff first. And don't have kids if you can't afford to take care of them. I feel sorry for the kids who don't have health insurance. There could be an exception for this, where kids under 18 should receive free health care. I'm just sick of this socialist bullshit in general. Capitalism is the best system. It reinforces the idea of self-responsibility.

[AndyO1987]

I realize that health insurance is a business. And they are in it to make profit. But having insurance is in the public's best interest. If you have to get a major surgery or get cancer, you would have to pay like over $100K plus for that. People who don't have health insurance don't because they choose not to. These are the same people who buy houses and credit cards they can't afford and the responsible ones have to end up paying for it.

[AndyO1987]

I looked up income tax rates around the world. And 70% is too high. I'd heard socialist countries get taxed that much, but maybe I was wrong. But nevertheless, they are still really high. But anyway...I just don't buy the argument that everyone is entitled to free healthcare like it's some kind of birth right. I think people who say that don't realize how much goes into medicine. Not only doctors, but the money that goes into research and technology.

[AndyO1987]

There's a reason why when people hear the words "socialism." Do you want to live in a country where like 70% of your income is taxed? There's a reason why healthcare costs are so high. It's because healthcare is "complicated". That's why it takes like 8-12 years of school to become a doctor. It should be expensive because it's hard. If you work and make smart decisions then you should be able to pay for health insurance. Health insurance makes healthcare affordable.

[donnomar]

@AndyO1987 Problem is that the money you pay is not going to the doctors, it's going to the executive managers that run the insurance companies, to the lawyers that protect them it's going to the share holders that expect to get money on their investment, to politicians and lobbiests that make the regulations. Doctors in UK are better paid. Health insurance creates a conflict of interest between my health and the people trying to make a profit from it

[AndyO1987]

@donnomar I was think about deleting my comments bc I hadn't looked much into the issue. But I leave em there anyway. Health insurance is a business. Of course, those companies are in it to make a profit. People act like that's a bad thing. What's the alternative?...the government making decisions that have to do with your health. That may be even worse than having CEOs and investors making those decisions.

[sonicsuns]

@AndyO1987 When people want to ship a package, they can turn to either the government (US Postal Service) or private enterprise (FedEx, UPS, etc.). Everyone can choose what works for them. So how about we do the same for healthcare? Make a government plan that anyone can join, but they don't have to join and they can use private plans instead. That idea was called "the public option", but they removed it from the final bill.

[Coyulito]

hey great observations ! your assertions are very logical ! If teenagers read more social and history books ! the world would be so different !

[sonicsuns]

thank you =)

[cowboy2sk]

I wish there were more young people like this boy interested about what's going on in this country rather than playing stupid video games. For example, back in late 80's and early 90's that was young people who were first to overthrow kommunist regime in east europe. I wish young american people would do something for their future too.

[sonicsuns]

Thank you for the compliment, though I should note that I am no stranger to video games. But yes, I agree that people (not just young people) ought to take more interest in the world around them, so they can do something to fix it.

[Pinnertop]

If Socialist means that we have access to free health care, then long live Socialism. In any event, the USA is the ONLY country of the top most industrialised nations not to have some form of universal health care. (And actually it costs a great deal less than a wholly private system). We are in U.K. are very lucky indeed.

[Ethuggernaut]

u tool chang the name of your stupid video

[hooliganism49]

This kid seems to be invloved in political issues which is good. All I have to say to him is this...our government have socialized the postal service and our education for example. Unless you havent notice, our government have done a piss poor job in educating our kids dont you know?? As for the post office, i wouldnt consider that "socialized" or free postal service, since we have to buy stamps, boxes, and other services. Lets not forget we pay taxes for all this so how can it be free??

[ibenzawla]

A very smart young man. Right on track. Thanks.

[sonicsuns]

thank you

[SuperOtaku5]

I like how you looked at the camera on 4:11

[crftyldytoo]

People,

It's nice to express your views. I may not agree with yours but I won't call you names.

[sonicsuns]

thank you for being considerate

[crftyldytoo]

I wish people would educate themselves!

I wish the media would give us actual news instead of hype. When Micheal Jackson's death gets more coverage than Ted Kenedy's does, there's something wrong.

If I'm critically ill, I'm going to rob a bank so when I go to jail I'll be covered!

When commedians like Bill Mahr an Jon Stewart give better news than prime time omg!

[sonicsuns]

Yeah, that's why I watch the Daily Show. Glen Greenwald (a blogger) is also very good, and I like Rachel Maddow, though I haven't seen alot of her.

But yes, the media has problems.

[hooliganism49]

I agree with you. Jon Stewart and Colbert report give better news.

[rachlon83]

I just watched your full 20 minute video and I loved it. It was like watching a lightbulb moment.

I have visited the USA and I enjoyed the time I spent there but I have never felt comfortable with the attitude of money making which seems to be so inegral in American society at the expense of the poor.

The NHS here is not perfect. But we still have the option for private healthcare for those who want and can afford it. I am so grateful that I live in a society where my babies lives are safe.

[hooliganism49]

at the expense of the poor?? LOL!! Your not American, you dont live in America, so because u visited the US somehow you know whats going on??

[rachlon83]

Oooo did I hit a nerve?? I am NOT trying to say that I know what's going on in America, to be honest, I don't care BUT the people who felt that a film needed to be made about how screwed up it is obviously did and ARE American. What I DO know is that the system here DOES work and everyone here is very grateful for it.

[rachlon83]

It is not perfect and people will always find SOMEthing to complain about, particularly the British but the government here would NEVER consider going back to a system that was totally private like the system we had over 60 years ago. My comment is simply my opinion based on what I see and sometimes people IN that situation can't see the wood for the trees.

[rachlon83]

There are LOTS of things I have seen from WAYYYY over here that displays PERFECTLY the American governments habit of doing things at the expense of the poor. For example HAD hurricane Katrina hit here in the UK how long do you think it would have been before a regeneration project was up and running? How long would people HERE have had to wait before they were no longer homeless??

[simgadraco2005]

sonicsuns you got it spot on, In UK we have NHS which works fine for everyone, no matter what race, creed or background, where as in US, do I need to go on....

And if someone is afraid of Universal health care (republicans, neo-cons, greedy corporations, those who stand to lose massive profits) than he or she should pray not to get sick or injured in great US of A.

For comparison, in UK if I get sick, I don't need to worry about insurance, or even if I can afford, as I'll be taken care of...

[CERNOBE]

i don't give a fuck

[imaboy5]

suck my ball i dont care

[mcfallows]

You are a very intelligent and thoughtful young man with eloquent ideas. When I was your age, I could care less about this issue. My mother was required to liquidate her assets in order to qualify for medicaid. All because she could not afford her cancer treatment. Is that ridiculous? Just like big oil spreading disinformation to justify more drilling so do big insurance companies like AIG. They will state socialism is bad in any form. I say that the practice of medicine is good in any form!!!

[sniped101]

yes.. this is true BUT we do have a main problem and that is overpopulation. we can't have population growth and have finite resources.. we will run out!

[sonicsuns]

if we use our resources well, we can sustain population growth. Our food supply, for instance, could serve over 10 Billion people (indefinitely) if we managed it properly. But yes, things might be easier if we had a lower birth rate.

[sniped101]

true :)

same goes for fossil fuels imo. if we didn't use them in the first place and used something else for energy then we wouldn't have a problem with global warming I think. There are soo many sources that are more efficient than fossil fuels.. and to mention they say that we are going to run out of fossil fuels within our lifetime.

2 videos on here... "The Most IMPORTANT Video You'll Ever See" AND "how it all ends" GOOD STUFF imo.

[rachlon83]

Everywhere is overpopulated. Britain is overpopulated. The NHS is streched beyond belief and people have to wait their turn for non-emergency procedures BUT you always get treatment as a priority in an emergency AND if you have to wait you still DO get treatment AND if you don't want to wait you can go private and get it anyway or you can go to Europe and still have it done for free. Over population is a poor excuse especially considering the vast spaces still left very unpopulated.

[NICKvavavoomCAREY]

socialised medicine is awesome!!! We have it in Britain and i'm so healthy and not even afraid of getting ill. The thought of not affording to live is horrifying.

[Anonymous1601]

I almost get the feeling after seeing Michael Moore's movies, that the American government and the media are doing their best to portrait America as the most evil country in the world (e.g. disencouraging people to help others by not giving them healthcare as they get lung-diseases by doing so, pumping people full of fear so they became agressive by the slightest touch, letting people die because insurance companies only care about profit).

[ceoparis]

you have many decent ideas.

but try putting your mind to better use than making litle videos that nobody cares about.

[DoccRobb]

I see your point... but if there was free health care the hospitals would have no income so how would they pay the doctors???

[sonicsuns]

nononono.

It's free for the *patient*, but *somebody* still pays the doctors. The government pays them, using tax money. That's how it works in Canada and Britain, and it's quite effective.

[DoccRobb]

Though that *is* true...thats socialism, it has never worked and never will...

[sonicsuns]

You said: "thats socialism"

I respond: Not really. It's socialist-esque, but then again so is the post office. And the fire department. And the police. And the construction of interstate highways. All of these projects are funded solely by the government, despite the fact that this is a capitalist country.

[DoccRobb]

let me ask you a question: How was your last trip to the post office?...If was a normal day you had to wait in line. Thats why businesses mails with Fed-ex or UPS...they get fewer complaints...if the hospitals were socialist you would have to wait in line for surgery.

[sonicsuns]

Well I haven't been to the post office in a long time, thanks to the internet.

But then, how do you feel about the fire department? Do people wait in lines while their houses burn to the ground? Are they tied up with paperwork before rescue is allowed? I've never heard of such a thing. So apparently, socialist-esque systems *can* be efficient, even though they are not *always* efficient. It all depends on how the system is set up.

[sonicsuns]

And a socialist-esque healthcare system *has* been created,m in many modern countries around the world. Granted, it doesn't always work (New Zealand is a good example of poor government healthcare), but more often then not there has been great success. Look at Canada, Britain and France, for starters. You try and prove to me that our system is better than theirs. The World Health Organization ranks all countries by healthcare standards, and these three are all higher than us.

[sonicsuns]

And here's the best part: What if we set up a government healthcare system *without* overthrowing the existing systems? In shipping, you can either use the government (post office) or a private company (FedEx, UPS, etc.). If one fails, you can simply take your business somewhere else. So if government healthcare is inadequate, you'll be able to remain on (or go back to) private insurance companies.

[sonicsuns]

And this gets even better if the government is not running the whole system, but merely acting as an insurance company. So don't imagine the government passing rules regulating the number of doctors in each city, and the precise doses of medication to give. Instead, imagine that the government merely provides the money to pay for pre-existing lines of service. Each patient still chooses his own doctor, and each doctor still makes his own choices.

[sonicsuns]

That's what I advocate. The government should offer up a voluntary insurance program, and anyone in the plan should have all their (legitimate) medical expenses paid for, free of charge.

To be more general, what I really want is Universal Healthcare, which means everyone can see a doctor when he needs to. And if the free market had accomplished that, then these new ideas would be unnecessary. But business-as-usual isn't quite working, so let's experiment with government healthcare.

[DoccRobb]

You make *VERY* good points...still yet I think it is wishful thinking that it would work that way.

[DoccRobb]

You make *VERY* good points...still yet I think it is wishful thinking that it would work that way.

[sonicsuns]

thank you for the compliment.

As for the "wishful thinking" part, I still say that if Britain can do it, so can we. We can at least start thinking about it.

[Poopspooge]

you really need to fuck someone, even your cat, serious, you have no life

[sonicsuns]

I've always wondered: what do people like you think about when you're making comments like this? I mean, I have to believe that you're capable of a better comment. I'm not saying that you have to like me, I'm just saying that, if you're going to criticize, you could at least be intelligent and/or courteous about it.

[sonicsuns]

I mean, what exactly are you thinking? Do you mean your comment literally? No? Then why can't you just say what you mean to say? It's not as if you're using witty sarcasm or whatever. You're not speaking nonsense with the purpose of conveying a real message. You're just speaking nonsense. So...why?

Is this some sort of a joke to you? Is it a game you play, trying to get a rise out of random strangers? Is that funny somehow?

[sonicsuns]

Or are you just that angry at me? And if so, why? You didn't even *mention* the content of the video. You just gave a generic insult. Have I done something which is worthy of insult? Or are you angry about something else entirely, and you're just venting on me?

[sonicsuns]

I don't get it. I really don't. I hope that you (and others like you) can learn some decency. You don't have to like me, or anyone for that matter. But I do suggest that you stop telling random people to have sex with random animals, for no reason at all.

Just a thought.

[MishuTaste]

Here's the sad part of reality: people NEED jobs to survive. And if someone has a job at a health insurance company, that person's priority is to PAY THE BILLS. If that person fails to pay the bills, he/she will lose the apartment or house. So people learn how to be apathetic & selfish for their own survival. The world shouldn't be that way.

[sonicsuns]

yeah. In fact, Sicko interviewed an insurance claim agent (or whatever) who said something like "I specifically don't make friends with my clients, because I know I'll have to hurt them someday." It made me realize that everyone is human here. We're all just hurting each other, I guess.

[edwardo1234]

did you know that fox news owns sky news in britian but sky news doesnt unfairly criticise it unless appropriate because rupert murdock knows the people of britian wont stand for it. This suggest fox news thinks you ll just listen to anything. Stand up and say no way no more

[edwardo1234]

The United Kingdom has a universal health care system and we are not communists. We your stongest allies. I never even think about health care just free, i havemy own dovtor from birth

[bluenote71]

Act now! I've written a letter to my US representative, and I haven't even lived in the country for four years. Watching "Sicko" won't bring us health care. It's our responsibility to make this change to universal care.

[periurban]

Where is part 1?

[sonicsuns]

I'm not sure. I can't seem to upload part 3 either. It's some combination of glitches on youtube's side and spotty internet on my side. Check the blip link to see the whole thing